specialist birth doula support
how is it ‘specialist’?
Suzanne has decades of experience in birth work. She was a midwife in the NHS for many years, supporting over a thousand births in every which way possible.
Throughout this time she gained a deep understanding of birth physiology and people’s needs - not only during the birth, but also in pregnancy and the postnatal period .
She also gained wide experience of the medical model of birth and the obstetric viewpoints, giving her a valuable understanding of how to navigate this system to achieve an individualised experience.
Suzanne’s goal is to bridge her medical knowledge with holistic care, to provide the best possible birthing experience, and with that aim has trained in herbalism, Holistic Pelvic Care and kundalini yoga for pregnancy and postpartum. She is also currently training in homeopathy for pregnancy
Suzanne can support you with:
navigating the maternity services, to consider and discuss any proposed pathways of care and help you to receive individualised care
mediating between yourselves and the maternity team, if required
your pregnancy health - taking a full health history to best support you safely with plant medicine, lifestyle and nutrition throughout pregnancy
debriefing and supporting you through any past negative birth experience
helping you clarify and discover what is really important to you around the birth
teaching you all about birth physiology
preparing for feeding your baby, however you choose to do so
protecting your birth environment
being on-call from 38-42 weeks for your birth, and providing whatever support you wish or need during that time
caring for you in the initial postpartum period - helping with breastfeeding, checking on healing, providing herbs to heal.
Suzanne will support you with 4 visits in your home during the pregnancy, be on-call 24/7 from 38-42 weeks for the birth, and provide 3 visits postpartum. She is also available throughout to contact with questions/discussions as the pregnancy continues.
What we will achieve:
time to get to explore your situation and your wishes and needs around care during pregnancy and birth. As well as a comprehensive health check in order to best support the pregnancy with health and vitality.
birth preparation - birth physiology and hormones
education on newborn physiology and needs, particularly in the first week (includes feeding preparation)
herbal and homeopathic medicine products as required, to support your health in pregnancy
birth plan - helping you to clarify your wishes and needs
It is highly recommended that each doula cient (birthing team) attend one of Suzanne’s hypnobirthing/birth preparation workshops, and a 20% discount will be given for this.
During labour and birth, Suzanne will attend and she will use whatever tools necessary to support you through the process. Sometimes this will include herbal tinctures, aromatherapy massage, homeopathy. But mainly it is her deep understanding of the birth process and awareness of your specific needs that will help guide you through this often most challenging time.
3 postpartum visits - the day after the birth to check feeding and healing, a few days later for the same, and then around the 2-week mark.
All herbal and homeopathic medicines will be supplied.
how does it work?
How do we get started?
Each birthing person and team’s situation is unique to them. We will need to explore what your needs and wishes are for pregnancy, birth and postpartum care.
Working with Suzanne
Investing in birth support is a big deal. It’s an expense you likely wish you didn’t need to spend. Yet the truth is, if you would like excellent, bespoke support throughout this incredibly important time in your and your baby’s life, then you will need to prioritise and invest.
How you will benefit is individual, but here are some examples:
being able to have control over your experience. Modern maternity services need to support a large number of people with limited resources, and those resources are becoming more and more limited. It is difficult for individualised care to be given as a matter of course, as the resources just are not there. Working with Suzanne means that she will be able to interpret medical findings with you - and examples of these are as diverse as your latest blood pressure reading to your latest scan result. She can help you work together to ensure you receive the care that best suits you.
you and your baby will know who is supporting your through the birth. As we get to know each other, the baby will be getting used to my voice and I will be getting a sense of how baby is growing and moving. This is an often-overlooked important element of how labour proceeds. Labour is in intricate physiological event with a delicate balance of hormones - we know that these all proceed at their best when the birthing team and the baby are feeling relaxed and safe.
newborn transition and feeding will be protected and supported. The first 3 hours of a baby’s life outside the womb are crucial for feeding and bonding. Their physiology changes drastically as they are born (including with caesarean sections) and so allowing this to happen slowly and with comfort is fundamental to their wellbeing in the following days and weeks. I will be able to do teach you how to protect this, and be there to assist with it.
Giving birth is a transformative experience, but it can be unpredictable. Whatever course your labour takes, having Suzanne involved will ensure it is the best decision for you and your baby.
Benefits of investing in pregnancy, birth and postpartum support
FAQs on specialist birth doula support
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The full birth doula support service - with 4 prenatal visits, on-call and full birth support and 3 postpartum visits is £2000.
£1000 is due at booking to secure my services, and the remainder is due prior to going on-call for the birth.
Please be aware that this is my livelihood, and that I have invested years of training and experience in order to provide this level of support.
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Once we have agreed that we wish to work together and you have paid the initial booking fee, we will sign a contract of care together.
Then we will begin to book in our prenatal visits to begin the journey toward your baby’s birth!
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There are many different routes to choosing to support families through pregnancy and birth. Evey doula will have a different story, different life experience and different reason for choosing this path.
My journey into the birthing world began in 1995 in Vancouver, Canada, and it has been my vocation ever since. This means that I spent years training in midwifery and then years learning my trade within a medical model which I often had to look outside of for alternatives. I have spent countless pounds, hours and effort attending conferences and study days outwith our NHS standard in order to find a more balanced approach.
And then I spent many more years studying herbalism, homeopathy, Holistic Pelvic Care - all with carefully chosen mentors and trainers.
I choose to draw on all of my experience, knowledge and training to support you.
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Of course.
Hiring a doula does not guarantee you a normal and uncomplicated birth.
What it does guarantee is support from an experienced and highly trained birth support person, who will help keep you informed and communicating with birthing staff so that you are able to make the best decisions for you and your baby.
I will also be helping you to heal in the immediate postpartum period, and to ensure your baby has the best possible start to life.
